🟩 GreenBricks Building of the Week 🟩 5 Broadgate

Groundscraper green

Extending horizontally more than it does vertically, this groundscraper is the HQ for financial firm UBS. With robust architectural language – a perfectly formed steel object – 5 Broadgate is crafted with Swiss watch precision.

📍Location

London, EC2

🏢Building Details

• Completed 2015

• 700,000 sq ft., 13-storeys

• Structural Awards 2016 – Sustainability Winner

👷🏾‍♀️Developer & Contractor

• Nigel Webb – Former Director & Head of Development @ British Land

• Robert Dudley – Project Director @ Mace

✍️Architects & Engineers

• Dr Ken Shuttleworth – Founding Partner @ Make Architects

• Matthew Bugg – Partner @ Make Architects

• James Goodfellow – Partner @ Make Architects

• Michael Bailey – Former Partner @ Make Architects

• Myoungjae Kim – Former Architect @ Make Architects

• Mike Brooks – Director @ Buro Happold

• Rob Smith – Project Director @ tp bennett

• Alec Smith – Project Director @ M3 Consulting

🌱Sustainability

• BREEAM Excellent + one of the few buildings to receive an FSC Chain of Custody certificate

• The facade is 65% solid, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world. It provides exceptional solar and thermal insulation, while still allowing for ample natural daylight.

• ‘Prefabrication first’ approach: including roof, plant room areas, modular corridor units, chillers + switch room = reduced material waste + 175 fewer deliveries saving 17.5 tonnes of carbon

• 99% of construction waste diverted from landfill + built from 39% recycled materials

• One of London’s biggest array of solar thermal panels

🥦 Wellbeing

• Worked with local businesses and residents, updating them in weekly liaison meetings: resulted in high project score of 46/50 in Considerate Constructors Scheme

• At ground level: improved pedestrian links expressed with cutbacks, landscaping + specially commissioned public artworks

• 4 open-plan football pitch-sized floors with cores pushed to the perimeter = maximum spatial flexibility + space for spontaneous interactions

• Abundant amenity: including restaurant, gym, retail space, newsagent, dry cleaner + cycle storage

🎈Bonus feature

It was critical for the building to have vault-like security and protection against fire and blast – for the UBS trading floors to continue trading in any eventuality. So, each floor was designed to support its own load, protecting against progressive collapse. And a bespoke assessment using VULCAN software was used to predict steel structure behaviour when exposed to fire. Hot stuff.

🔗 Check it out https://www.makearchitects.com/projects/5-broadgate/